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Producer: Roche & Domaine de Bellene

There is something attractively maverick about the young, informal team at Domaine de Bellene and at the same time incongruous in their occupation of 16th century, once military buildings in Beaune’s Rue du Faubourg St-Nicolas.

This is Nicolas Potel’s project, whom we first met many years ago working with his father at Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in Volnay. His winery is beautifully equipped and was renovated in as eco-friendly a way as was possible. Maison Roche de Bellene is the merchant side of the business, buying in wine, must and increasingly grapes with the aim of being, as Nicolas puts it: the only Haute Couture negoçiant in Burgundy. Close relationships with growers are key, for instance in securing the grand crus, as the chap who is in charge of the Maison Roche de Bellene explains: They come from top estates; instant cash if they sell a barrel is always welcome. This negoçiant business was started in 2008 and the domaine in 2005 which now stands at 15 ha. These vineyards extend to Santenay, Saint-Romain, Volnay, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges up to Vosne-Romanée and are all between 50 and 110 years of age. They are all worked using organic methods with no chaptalisation or acidification. Nicolas has an infectious enthusiasm which he is channelling well into the establishment of both Domaine de Bellene and Maison Roche de Bellene.

Product Details

White Burgundy Vintages

In spite of a familiar and now all-too-frequent late frost in 2017 the growers in the Côte d’Or were better prepared and the vintage looks to have delivered some excellent results, many domaines back to ‘normal’ yields. In the Mâconnais and Chablis growers were not quite so lucky with yields down for the second year but wines of excellent quality. What there is in 2016 is very good but sadly frost and hail had a bigger than usual impact this year, particularly in Chablis and the Mâconnais, but almost no-one escaped unscathed. 2015 has produced round, full whites with good, ripe fruit. 2014 started well enough with an early spring but a cooler than average summer, and hailstorms in the south, reduced yields. The resultant wines, however, have elegance and beautiful balance. A cold season in 2013 meant yields were low but good growers have produced some very drinkable wines. Another low-yielding vintage, 2012, gave some attractive wines but not much volume. The tricky conditions of 2011 gave some good juicy wines for short and mid-term drinking. While the Burgundians favour the ethereal style of the succulent 2010s, they contrast well with the much riper, fleshier wines of 2009. A cooler year in 2008 produced some super, fresh, zippy wines. Similarly in 2007, the whites are crisp and aromatic. Another year saved by September weather, the wines of 2006 have a little more flesh than the subsequent two years. Concentrated wines with good structure were produced in 2005, with 2004 providing a contrast with crisper but more long-lived wines. The hot year of 2003 produced some fascinating but atypical whites. The successful 2002 vintage gave us good quality and quantity, drink soon. Wines from 2001 were nice but for the short term, drink up. The millennium vintage was much better for whites than for reds.

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